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Now, that 20 GW "capacity" - how often is it actually achieved, I wonder.

Average capacity factor varies between 30 and 40% on a seasonal basis. So 100% is rare and, sometimes, even newsworthy. I recall when one large grid - I think it was a German one - exceeded 110% for a period.

The natural variations in wind speed are smoothed out a great deal by the sheer magnitude of the wind power grid and how widely dispersed it is. The days where "the wind ain't blowing" caused major disruption are largely a thing of the past for places like the UK and Germany, and both have dramatically reduced the capacity of standby power generation facilities...something that is controlled by government oversight and legislation.

The offshore wind industry just getting off the ground in the US won't have too much effect on overall power distribution. Even when fully developed, it will represent a tiny fraction of overall power consumed.

A key enabling technology for wind and solar is storage...and that is where a lot of R&D is being focused right now, with some pretty darned large storage banks - glorified batteries - already delivered in some places.

The Us is lagging way, way behind in all of this but that's a blessing...we get to reap the benefits of mature technology without the cost of developing it.

Average capacity factor varies between 30 and 40% on a seasonal basis. So 100% is rare and, sometimes, even newsworthy.

This is my point. It's great to say you've got 20MW "capability", but it's mostly theoretical and not actual.

A key enabling technology for wind and solar is storage...and that is where a lot of R&D is being focused right now, with some pretty darned large storage banks - glorified batteries - already delivered in some places.

The Us is lagging way, way behind in all of this but that's a blessing...we get to reap the benefits of mature technology without the cost of developing it.

The Australians have some GREAT batteries they're using for their submarines. Perhaps we could purchase That technology.

I fully agree that the problem is storage, because storage capacity should handle the lags when "the wind ain't blowing". Off-shore should have few and far between when the wind ain't blowing, but it of course happens.

This is why I call these great back-up generators - the batteries that can handle the few and far between times when you really need to support the "real" generation capability. I think these are great things to put on one's house - especially a farmer or someone long separated from a stable supply of electricity. You can do a lot, and use the heat generated by the batteries charging to help warm your home, not to mention probably power a great deal of your home a great deal of the time (maybe most of the time). Especially if you combine wind and power.

But, as a supply from a utility company to keep the factories running and office buildings cool and connected, it just ain't gonna work. I am absolutely for Congress funding, IAW Article One, Section Eight of the Constitution, the "useful arts" (universities, R&D facilities) to help learn the science to make this become a useful power supply for large scale. But, today, it is just simply not capable of doing that.

This is my point. It's great to say you've got 20MW "capability", but it's mostly theoretical and not actual.

The point is...that they are achieving the kinds of numbers they are, as a percentage of total power, fully taking the capacity factors in to account. Same thing thing in Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, etc. Our current new "hot" development area is Taiwan.

But, as a supply from a utility company to keep the factories running and office buildings cool and connected, it just ain't gonna work.

Except that, over there, they are making it work. Except for that. ;-)